Aeotec’s Z-Wave Home Energy Meter

Even though I have the Brultech monitor a friend pointed this out and although I was sure I wasn’t going to replace mine I wanted to check out this cheaper alternative. I was also a bit skeptical at first as I wasn’t sure if this would work with my electrical service. I remember having to upgrade my Brultech’s CT sensors to accurately monitor my new 200 amp service. The directions are geared towards setting up with Verizon’s Home Monitoring and Control, however they were clear that this will work with a 200 amp service. Setting up with Verizon’s home automation service is not necessary (and Verizon has since discontinued that service.) I found setup was a breeze using the ISY994i. You will want to take the battery cover off and tap the small black button to add the device to your Z-wave network. Make sure you have the ISY994i searching for Z-wave devices. It should discover it within seconds. As recommended in the instructions, AC power should be used. However, if you wish to use batteries, it will work fine and the ISY994i can even monitor the battery level!

Here is what it looks like paired with my ISY994i:

The Brultech is the way to go for monitoring multiple circuits and in terms of accuracy, the best. Aeotec’s meter doesn’t have any built in calibration settings to improve accuracy. I hope to include a way to log data to emoncms soon.